If a company sells a thing, it's probably packaged in plastic. Plastic is made from oil, and oil production releases emissions that warm the planet. If that thing is bought online, it's put on a plane or a train or a truck that usually uses oil-based fuel. If you buy a thing and return it, it goes through most or all of that all over again.
Of the ten richest men in the world on Forbes' December 2025 list, only two didn't build their fortunes by running or founding a fully tech-driven company. They are the people who now shape how we think, how we have fun, how we vote, how the economy works, and ultimately whether the world moves forward or backward: Elon Musk (X), Larry Page (Alphabet), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Sergey Brin (Alphabet), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), and Michael Dell (Dell).
Ten years ago, I walked the route of HS2, the 140-mile railway proposed to run from London to Birmingham, to discover what lay in its path. Nothing had actually been constructed of this, supposedly the first phase of a high-speed line going north. The only trace was the furtive ecological consultants mapping newts and bats and the train's looming presence in the minds of those who lived along the route.
We need to have a more mature relationship with risk. Projects often do not go ahead because of concerns about safety but often all you are doing is moving the risk somewhere else. He said the UK's risk aversion was demonstrated to him by a recent decision by London's royal parks to close during high winds. Instead of going for a walk through the park, [people] ended up walking around the edge of it instead, where there were often more trees.
The worst places in the UK for litter-riden roads have been revealed in a new report by the AA. Experts at the motoring firm surveyed more than 11,000 drivers in the UK about how much rubbish they'd seen on roads and surrounding areas. Over half (55 per cent) said they'd noticed more than usual - while just six per cent said they had seen seen less. Sadly, the figure is up three per cent from May 2024 when 52 per cent of drivers said they regularly saw rubbish on UK streets.
Frank McCourt's proposed gondola from Union Station to Dodger Stadium hit what appears to be its most significant roadblock yet on Wednesday, when the Los Angeles City Council voted to urge Metro to kill the project. The resolution, approved by an 11-2 vote, is not in itself any kind of formal decision. It would not take effect unless Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass concurs, and Bass previously voted in favor of the project as a member of the Metro board.
Apple has created its new Apple TV+ streaming service introduction using entirely practical effects and in-camera techniques, drawing a sharp contrast with Coca-Cola's decision to produce its 2025 Christmas advertisement using artificial intelligence, according to Unilad Tech. What's happening? The tech company released behind-the-scenes footage showing how its creative team built and filmed the Apple TV+ logo sequence by hand rather than generating it digitally.
Every year, millions of crabs emerge from the forest and swarm across roads, streams, rocks, and beaches to reach the ocean, where each female can produce up to 100,000 eggs. The tiny baby crabs that survive take about nine days to march back inland to the safety of the plateau. While Google is seeking environmental approvals for its subsea cables, the timing could prove delicate for Christmas Island's most famous residents.
The architecture and construction sector currently accounts for the highest carbon emissions among all global industries. Architecture, which has evolved alongside humanity for over 10,000 years, entered the 20th century prioritizing efficiency and economy above all else, adopting concrete and steel as its near-exclusive materials. This pursuit of industrial optimization, while enabling rapid development, also detached architecture from its ecological roots and intensified the environmental burden of the built environment.
His findings were interpreted by a group of artists for the show at the Last Shot Gallery. Maslin says the environmental impact of tech consumption is estimated to account for 6% of the human-driven climate crisis double that of the aviation industry. There is a lack of awareness that all the gadgets people are using and replacing are contributing to overconsumption, huge pollution and climate change, he said.
When the corroded pipeline burst in 2015, inky crude spread along the Southern California coast, becoming the state's worst oil spill in decades. More than 140,000 gallons (3,300 barrels) of oil gushed out, blackening beaches for 150 miles from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, polluting a biologically rich habitat for endangered whales and sea turtles, killing scores of pelicans, seals and dolphins, and decimating the fishing industry.
This month's multiple whammy of Friezes London and Masters, swiftly followed by Art Basel Paris, and accompanied by the inevitable plethora of adjacent events and satellite art fairs, is never good news for the environment. And in these twitchy times, when there is so much else kicking off-both economically and politically-across the globe, it is especially challenging to keep the attention of the art world on the ever-escalating climate and environmental crisis that faces us all.
Each minute, millions of teens scroll through videos on social media platforms. These platforms are designed to connect people, but their overuse among young users is leading to serious, unintended consequences. The impact of social media on teen mental health has received significant media attention. After Facebook became available to American college students, their rates of depression rose by 7% and anxiety by 20%.
At the sixth edition of the Aichi Triennale, which opened in Japan in September, wars and their effects loom large. The exhibition's title, A Time Between Ashes and Roses (until 30 November), comes from a line in a poem by the Syrian poet Adonis about the cycle of destruction and rebirth, observed through nature. It resonates throughout this year's event, where war, displacement, memory and the natural world are interwoven across venues in Aichi Prefecture, located to the west of Tokyo.
Once upon a time, Lapland was a word that conjured up the home of Santa Claus in the imagination of British children, but increasingly it has become a tourist destination. Last year, more than 700,000 people came to the region, with 100,000 of them coming from Britain. That number is up 160% compared with 30 years ago. Soaring tourism is making a substantial footprint on Lapland's environment.
Arc'teryx recently decided to do two things that plenty of clothing companies do: collaborate with an artist and draw attention to a particular place. In this case, the location was the Himalayas and the artist was Cai Guo-Qiang, who sometimes uses gunpowder in his work.You can tell where this is going, right? Guo-Qiang came up with a memorable installation that evoked the shape of a dragon and followed a path up a hill.
While dishwasher pods seem like a time-saving alternative to powder or liquid detergents, they may actually be causing more harm than good. Not only are pods not as eco-friendly or environmentally safe as other types of dishwasher detergents, but they can also pose a health and safety risk if you have curious children or pets in your home. Plus, even the best dishwasher pods can potentially leave residue or gunk on your dishwasher and dishes.
Taxing Britain's SUVs in line with other European countries could raise almost 2bn a year for the public finances, research has shown. The Transport & Environment thinktank has urged the government to use the autumn budget to bring in a levy on the largest vehicles, which it said would reflect the damage they caused to the environment and infrastructure.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.
According to the FAA's draft EIS, SpaceX seeks permission to fly its fully reusable Starship system from Launch Complex 39A, where construction of a dedicated tower and infrastructure has already begun. Proposed operations could involve landings at KSC or droneships positioned across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The FAA emphasized that final approval is not guaranteed with the completion of the EIS, as safety and financial requirements must still be met, as noted in a Space.com report.
Two judges appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit by President Donald Trump issued a Thursday decision that allows a newly established but already notorious immigrant detention center in Florida, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, to stay open. Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida sought "to halt the unlawful construction" of the site. Last month, Judge Kathleen Williams - appointed by former President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida - ordered the closure of the facility within 60 days. However, on Thursday, Circuit Judges Elizabeth Branch and Barbara Lagoa blocked Williams' decision, concluding that "the balance of the harms and our consideration of the public interest favor a stay of the preliminary injunction."
Originally known for its bohemian spiritual community and pristine coastline, Tulum has transformed from a secluded seaside paradise into a small city and bustling tourist spot with design-forward resorts, world-renowned restaurants, nightlife spots aplenty, an international airport, and a plethora of exceptional villas to call home. First-time tourists may flock to Tulum's glam beachfront hotels, but booking a stay at a villa means more space for a
A fluid choreography that combines strength and delicacy, like a dance on the waves, gathers enthusiasts across the world's oceans. Yet, behind this image of freedom and connection with nature, the sport also carries contradictions. It is a symbol of outdoor life and respect for the ocean, but on the other hand, it is marked by territorial disputes over waves and by an environmental footprint that rarely receives the same attention given to its aesthetics.
"Don't mess up my beach, girl," New Yorker and comedian Ilana Glazer pleaded to Gov. Kathy Hochul in late July in an Instagram reel with over 46,000 likes. Glazer wants the governor to reject the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, which would build a natural gas pipeline that would start in Pennsylvania and end in New York City's beachfront community, the Rockaways, with a 17-mile stretch below the ocean floor.
Starting Sept. 29, the coffee giant, Starbucks, will require many corporate workers to commute into the office four days a week, up from the current three. While framed as a culture-building move, the shift raises new concerns about environmental impact and community strain - both of which add up for a large company - at a time when climate goals should be moving forward, not in reverse.
They note that the 152-acre project site - an undeveloped swath of creosote scrub about a half-mile from the national park boundary - may support at least 10 plant and 17 animal species that are either listed as threatened or endangered or recognized as species of concern, including loggerhead shrikes, golden eagles, burrowing owls and, of course, desert tortoises such as Big Boy and Squiggles.
